I selected 14 players above and of those only nine
feature. Stokes is not considered fit
enough but Woakes is in the squad.
Carberry has been discarded and replaced with one of my picks Robson. Matt Prior takes the gloves again so Buttler
doesn’t play. Finn and Panesar aren’t in
the mix at all at the moment. As expected
Jordan is in the squad but a surprise to see Liam Plunkett is back for the
first time since Freddie was captain.
The spinning option goes to Moen Ali who will likely edge out Woakes for
the all rounder’s spot. So the team will
likely line up like this; Cook, Robson, Root, Bell, Ballance, Ali, Prior,
Broad, Jordan, Plunkett, Anderson. Just
six of the players that started the Ashes in Brisbane last November are still
around. By the end of that series the
England team that had pretty much picked itself was broken up. Few would have predicted that.

So Sri Lanka, they have two genuinely great batsmen in
Sangakarra and Jayawardne. They have a
decent team but how good remains to be seen.
Any Sri Lankan team will be capable of beating England if we don’t
perform. On home soil with the likes of
Cook, Bell, Anderson and Broad England should win and it will be fascinating to
see how the summer unfolds.

Froch vs Groves I was a great fight but the abrupt end
spoiled things and left more questions than answers. In the aftermath Carl Froch claimed the
referee saved Groves from a beating. He
said he wasn’t motivated because he under estimated Groves which affected his
preparation and attitude going into the fight.
(What he didn’t quite admit was Groves had done an Ali mind job on him
and totally got under his skin.) In the
build up to the rematch Froch claimed he was totally focused this time around
and that Groves couldn’t live with him at his best.

On the other hand George Groves was adamant he’d given Froch
a hiding until he’d been robbed. He was
sure he would have recovered and carried on to beat Froch. Going into the rematch he was positive there
was no way Froch could possibly beat him.

Froch vs Groves II was a closer, more tactical fight but the
ending proved that Froch was 100% correct in everything he said after the first
fight. That was as good a knockout punch
as you would ever see. He is at the
pinnacle of a great career and is high on the list of the great British &
Irish Super Middleweights that includes Calzaghe, Eubank, Benn, Watson,
Collins, Woodhall…. Groves now finds
himself behind in the pecking order to James Degale, a man he has beaten. Degale is looking good but has Groves peaked
to soon? George needs a rest before he
begins trying to rebuild his career.